The Young Genius
by JamieMac26
Summary: A simple game of chess leads to so much more.
Madison looked across the park towards the chess tables. She sighed and ran a hand through her long brown hair. Her nephew, Parker, sat at one the tables, fully engrossed in a game of chess with a young man. He really needed to stop escaping the nanny every time they came to the park.

Madison carefully picked her way through the rambunctious children that littered this beautiful haven in Quantico, Virginia. As she got closer, she slowed her pace, keeping her eyes on the young boy as he neared checkmate. She stopped, always amazed at his abilities.

"Checkmate," She heard him say.

The older man cocked his head to the side and then with a small smile, nodded his head. "I'm impressed kid, that was a really thought out move."

Madison crossed the short distance and stood next to table, her frame looming over the small boy. "Parker, are you going to ditch the nanny every time she takes you to the park?"

His big brown eyes looked up at her, his mother's eyes. He put his head back down and continued to stare at the chess pieces.

Madison turned her attention to the loser of the match. "Hi, I'm Madison. Thank you for playing with him. Honestly, all he does is play chess and keep his nose buried in his computer." She reached her hand towards the stranger.

He looked at her hand, "I'm sorry, but I don't really shake hands. I'm Dr. Spencer Reid and your son here…well he's a genius."

"Genius? Wait, what?" Madison put her hand back at her side. "You just met him, how would you know that?"

"He obviously hasn't mentioned this to you, but we have a standing weekly game scheduled. Well, when I'm in town we do."

Madison blinked and shook her head. "Parker…I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to make plans like this and not let me know."

The little boy shook his head and looked up at Dr. Reid.

"He doesn't talk much, hasn't since his parent's accident a couple years ago." Madison tried to explain her nephew's lack of word usage. "If he's such a genius Dr. Reid, why is he struggling in school?"

"You can call me Spencer and it's because he isn't being challenged. I speak from experience in telling you that if we aren't challenged academically then we tend to focus on the things that bring us joy and use our brain power. He enjoys chess and the computer because they are things that work his mind that make him think. You might want to consider moving him up a couple grades or several grades."

Madison was speechless. It made sense. Both of Parker's parents had been incredibly smart but it surprised her that they hadn't mentioned his high IQ to her before. "I'm not sure he's ever been tested."

"Being tested doesn't really mean anything more than numbers and I tend to lean more towards the non-quantifying the IQs of geniuses'. It is just a number after all." Spencer started to remove the chess pieces but Parker placed his small hands over the board.

"Parker, we need to get back home buddy. There isn't time for another game." Madison reached for his bag, picking it up off the ground near his feet.

"We could play one round of lighting chess. I started teaching him a few tips and tricks last week when we played. It would be good to get in another practice round." Spencer looked up and met her eyes and Madison found herself giving into the request and she slowly sank down onto the stool next to Parker.

Parker's eyes lit up and Madison watched in awe and amazement as the two boys sped through the complex game. It was only a matter of minutes before Spencer called out checkmate and Parker tipped over his king. His little face was all lit up when he turned to look at her and her heart just about burst. She hadn't seen him smile that big in quite some time and obviously spending time with the young doctor was really doing him some good.

"I know that we just met and this might seem a little odd and a bit forward, but would you like to join Parker and myself for some dinner. We were going to hit up Parker's favorite diner." Madison handed Parker his bag, keeping her eye on Spencer.

He was quiet for a moment then nodded his head. "I could eat and the company would be nice."

"Well, my car is over there," She pointed towards the parking lot on the other side of the playground, "You can ride over with us, unless you prefer to drive yourself."

"I took the Metro here, so if you wouldn't mind taking me to my place afterwards, I will take up the offer for a ride with you." Spencer cleaned up the chess pieces, handing the small box to Parker. "Here buddy, I think that you should keep these until our next meeting."

There was that smile again as he took the box and carefully placed into his bag. He tugged on Madison's arm, indicating that he was ready to leave. They walked quietly towards the car, Parker between the two adults, his small hand in each one of theirs. Madison kept sneaking glances over at the tall man walking with them. He had unruly hair, that needed a good brushing but it seemed to work for him. He wore a cardigan over a button up shirt and tie. The black converse that donned his feet and the hint of mismatched socks that peeked out below the pant leg of his dress slacks, all painted an odd picture. She couldn't tell by what he was wearing what he did for a living and what kind of doctor could he be at such a young age. That was when he caught her looking at him and she immediately blushed.

"If there is something you'd like to ask me, please feel free." There was warmth to his voice that brought about a sense of comfort.

"If you don't mind, what kind of doctor are you?" Madison didn't really want to pry but if he was going to be spending time around her nephew, then she really should know more about him. Besides, the lawyer in her was really very curious.

"I have three doctorates, so I have the title of doctor but I am not a physician. I work for the FBI, in the Behavioral Analysis Unit." Spencer kept his eyes forward.

"My firm represents several departments in the FBI and I think that the BAU is one that we just brought on. You seem awfully young to be in such a prestigious department, but that must be because of how smart you are." They reached her car and Madison opened up the back door so Parker could climb in and buckle himself in.

As she climbed into the driver's seat, Spencer was buckling his seatbelt. "I am the youngest person to ever join the BAU. I'm guessing by what you said that you are a lawyer."

Madison nodded her head and she pulled out of the parking lot, exiting the park and entering the freeway. "Yep, my father was a lawyer, as was my sister. I never really had much of a direction in school, so I just followed the family path."

"Do you enjoy being a lawyer?" Spencer turned so that he was facing her.

Madison shrugged her shoulders, "I don't hate it but ever since…" She glanced in the rearview mirror at her adorable nephew, "I've been Parker's guardian, the long hours have taken its toll."

"Is that why you have hired a nanny?"

She nodded, "I had to. How do you handle being away from your family? The BAU travels quite a bit, doesn't it?"

Spencer sighed, "All of the travelling is one of the reasons why I don't have a family here. I've watched too many relationships fall apart. It is very hard to find that balance between life and work."

"Tell me about it," Madison pulled off onto their freeway exit and turned towards their destination.

"Can I have a shake for dessert?" Parker's small voice made its way to the front seat passengers.

Madison nodded, "Of course you can sweetie."

She pulled into the parking lot of their favorite diner and the three of them made their way inside. Seated in a corner booth enjoyed the peacefulness of the comfortable dinner. Madison really liked the young FBI agent and couldn't help but love how much Parker adored him.

Madison laughed and handed Parker a napkin, "You have some ice cream on your face there buddy." He took it from her and haphazardly swiped at his face. "Good enough."

Parker handed the napkin back to her before turning his attention to Spencer, "Can you have breakfast with us tomorrow?"

"Parker," Madison said, shocked at his invitation, "You really should ask me if it's okay before you start just asking people to join us for meals."

"If your aunt is okay with it, I'd love to join you for breakfast." Spencer stared at Madison, smiling slightly.

Madison smiled back at him, "I'm okay with it and we can even pick you up."

"Well, you will know where I live." Spencer placed some cash on the table and slid out of the booth, allowing Parker to slide out after him. Spencer leaned over and grabbed the young boy's bag. "Here you go."

"Thank you Spencer," Parker's small hand gripped Spencer's larger one.

Madison's heart felt like it was about to burst. She knew how much Parker missed his parents, especially his father and seeing his affection towards Spencer was encouraging. She just hoped that Spencer realized how delicate of a situation he'd gotten himself into.

Parker fell asleep on the way to Spencer's apartment. Madison pulled up outside his building, shutting off the engine and turning towards her new friend. "I really want to thank you for being so kind and patient with him. He likes you and that is something that is very important to him and…and to me too."

Spencer reached over and placed his hand on top of hers, his thumb brushed gently back and forth across her skin. "He is a great kid, one that just needs some guidance and a mentor. Look, Madison, I would be glad to help out in any way that I can."

"That is a big offer Spencer." Madison turned her hand over so that their fingers could intertwine. "We had just met. Don't you think that it's moving a bit fast?"

"Sometimes you just have a feeling, a feeling that you can't, nor shouldn't ignore. I really like Parker and I know what it's like to grow up without a father. I know that you and I have just met, but I am asking you to please, let me do this. Let me be in his life."

"Okay Dr. Spencer Reid…I'm going to let you be in our lives." Madison watched him smile as she said 'our lives'. She leaned over and softly kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be back here at 8 tomorrow morning. Here, put your number in my phone." She handed him her phone and watched as he fought to add his number to the device. She giggled as he handed it back to her.

"I think I did that right. If not, you can do it tomorrow. Have a good night Madison." He gave her hand a squeeze before he opened the door and exited her car.

She watched him walk up the door of his building. He turned around and smiled at her, giving her a small wave before disappearing through the door. Madison turned and looked back at Parker's sleeping form. "Thank you kid….thank you."


End file.
